Dwight Gooden

From BR Bullpen

Dwight Eugene Gooden (Doc or Dr. K.)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 210 lb.
• High School Hillsborough High School
• Debut April 7, 1984
• Final Game September 29, 2000
• Born November 16, 1964 in Tampa, FL USA

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[edit] Biographical Information

Dwight Gooden was signed as a 1st round pick in the 1982 amateur draft by the New York Mets and scout Carlos Pascual.

Gooden, nicknamed "Doc Gooden" or "Doctor K", was a sensation when he first came up with the New York Mets, leading the league in strikeouts in his first two seasons. He was the 1984 National League Rookie of the Year and followed that up by being the 1985 National League Cy Young Award and Triple Crown winner. All of this happened before he had turned 21. His 1.53 ERA that year is one of the lowest ever. He was the youngest player in the National League in 1985, and by 1989 he was the second highest-paid player in the league.

His career after 1985 was full of ups and downs. He had drug problems and injury problems, but was still able to contribute to the World Series-winning New York Yankees teams of 1998 and 2000. He threw a no-hitter in 1996 against a Seattle Mariners lineup that included Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Edgar Martinez. His two most similar players through 2006, according to the similarity scores method, are David Cone and Tommy Bridges.

In his autobiography, he claims that he was once held hostage by Kevin Mitchell. He had a number of run-ins with the law in the 1980s and 1990s, most of them related to substance abuse. He seemed to turn his life around after retiring from baseball. In the late 2000s, he served as senior vice-president of the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League, until November 2009. He trhen accepted a position as a spring training instructor with the Mets, but backed down without offering an explanation; one of his tasks woyuld have been to counsel young players about the dangers and temptations of playing in New York. On March 24, 2010, he was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, child endargement and leaving the scene of an accident after an automobile accident at 9:00 a.m. in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

He is the uncle of Gary Sheffield. Gooden and Sheffield were also neighbors, living on the same block in Tampa, Florida.

[edit] Notable Achievements

• 1983 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year, Lynchburg Mets, Carolina League
• 1984 NL Rookie of the Year Award
• 1984 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• 4-time NL All-Star (1984, 1985, 1986 & 1988)
• NL Cy Young Award Winner (1985)
• NL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1992)
• NL Pitcher's Triple Crown (1985)
• NL ERA Leader (1985)
• NL Wins Leader (1985)
• NL Innings Pitched Leader (1985)
• 2-time NL Strikeouts Leader (1984 & 1985)
• NL Complete Games Leader (1985)
• 15 Win Seasons: 6 (1984-1988 & 1990)
• 20 Win Seasons: 1 (1985)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 7 (1984-1986, 1988, 1990, 1992 & 1993)
• 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 4 (1984-1986 & 1990)
• Won three World Series with the New York Mets (1986) and the New York Yankees (1996 & 2000; he played in neither World Series)

[edit] Related Sites

• Profile of Gooden in the minors in 1983

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